ICE Orders Suspension of Vehicle Stops After Two Immigrant Deaths

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement takes action following two fatal operations in Texas and Maine that shocked local communities.

For our international readers, it is important to note that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is the federal agency responsible for enforcing immigration laws in the United States. According to reports citing federal sources, ICE would have ordered its agents to suspend vehicle stops intended to arrest immigrants. This measure comes after the deaths of two individuals driving their vehicles during separate police operations in Houston, Texas, and Biddeford, Maine, in less than a week. The directive would take effect immediately nationwide, although the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has not officially confirmed the new measure.

The Case of Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Maine

The most recent incident occurred on Monday, July 13, 2026, in Biddeford, Maine. An ICE agent shot and killed Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 26-year-old Colombian migrant who was leaving a monitored residence in his car. DHS claimed the driver attempted to flee and endangered the agent, but local immigrant defense organizations stated the young man had a work permit and a Social Security Number.

Maine's Independent Senator, Angus King, reported that Durán Guerrero was not the target of the authorities and that the involved agents were not wearing body cameras. The FBI is currently leading an investigation into the incident. Meanwhile, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, described the event as a 'murder of a Colombian, a Latin American, at the hands of the U.S. government.'

'My son had many dreams to fulfill. He was a hardworking young man who just wanted to get ahead,' expressed Omar Durán, the young man's father, from Bucaramanga, Colombia.

The Incident in Texas: Lorenzo Salgado Araujo

Six days earlier, on July 7, 2026, ICE agents shot and killed Mexican immigrant Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, during an operation in Houston, Texas. Authorities alleged the man tried to run over agents with his car, but witnesses and local officials questioned that version. Salgado, who had lived in the U.S. for 35 years, was on his way to a construction job when unmarked vehicles began chasing his truck.

ICE's acting director, Daniel Venturella, later acknowledged that Salgado was not the target of the operation, but that agents mistook one of the passengers. Medical examiners ruled the death a homicide by gunshot wound. Texas Democratic Representative Sylvia García demanded answers regarding the use of lethal force.

Reactions and Context

Following the news of the young Colombian's death, dozens of protesters gathered in Biddeford. The outrage turned to mourning during a vigil to honor the migrant. The Colombian Embassy has requested information and clarification from DHS regarding the circumstances of the death. The new ICE directive does not imply the end of immigration enforcement operations, but rather a change in tactics, amidst the intensification of the anti-immigrant offensive by the Donald Trump administration. Exceptions to the suspension of vehicle stops would apply in cases involving individuals with serious or violent criminal records.

Source: BBC Mundo and El País.